NEW AND ON VIEW: MUDLARK NO. 19 (2002)

SMITH STREET: a melodrama in three acts
(or, Sunset Clause)
(or, Between Heaven and Hell)

by John Kinsella, Tracy Ryan and Steve Chinna


SMITH STREET was first performed by Theatre Studies students and directed
by Steve Chinna at the Dolphin Theatre, the University of Western
Australia, on 24 May, 2001.

from Steve Chinna's Programme Notes:

"SMITH STREET explores the lives and politics of local 'high' and 'low'
life who intermingle in a space between heaven and hell - where naturalism
moves to fantasy, prose to poetry, dialogue to song, and the distinctions
between law makers and law breakers are destabilised."

"When John Kinsella approached me late in 2000 regarding the production of
a play he was writing - based around events in Perth concerning Smith
Street, kerb-crawling clients, prostitutes, and political game-playing -
he expressed the wish that it be first performed by students at the
Dolphin Theatre at UWA in recognition of the long involvement in theatre
production and performance by staff and students at this university. The
play was written in collaboration with Tracy Ryan and its poetical nuances
display the verbal gymnastics and strong visuality of the dialogue. I was
given carte blanche to add material and direct it for performance without
authorial intervention. It was clearly recognised by both John and Tracy
that a script can only be a potential in terms of staging. I am grateful
to them for the opportunity to present this work in performance, and to
the efforts put into it by all concerned - especially the students of both
cast and crew who have worked on this project with such enthusiasm -
against study and work commitments that often made sustained rehearsal
impossible."

JOHN KINSELLA is the author of more than twenty books whose many prizes
and awards include The Grace Leven Poetry Prize, the John Bray Award for
Poetry from The Adelaide Festival, The Age Poetry Book of The Year Award,
The Western Australian Premier's Prize for Poetry (twice), a Young
Australian Creative Fellowship from the former PM of Australia, Paul
Keating, and senior Fellowships from the Literature Board of The Australia
Council. His POEMS 1980-1994 and volume of poetry THE HUNT (a Poetry Book
Society Recommendation) were published in May 1998 by Bloodaxe in the UK
and USA, THE UNDERTOW: NEW & SELECTED POEMS (Arc, U.K), VISITANTS
(Bloodaxe, 1999), WHEATLANDS (with Dorothy Hewett in 2000), and THE
HIERARCHY OF SHEEP (Bloodaxe/FACP, 2001). He is the editor of the
international literary journal SALT, a Consultant Editor to WESTERLY
(CSAL, University of Western Australia), Cambridge correspondent for
OVERLAND, (Melbourne, Australia), co-editor of the British literary
journal STAND, International Editor of the American journal THE KENYON
REVIEW, and a Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge. A novel GENRE was
published in 1997 (Fremantle Arts Centre Press) and GRAPPLING EROS in late
1998 (FACP). He co-edited (with Joseph Parisi) a double issue of
Australian poetry for the American journal POETRY and more recently an
Australian issue of THE LITERARY REVIEW. He is Professor of English at
Kenyon College in the United States, a Fellow of Churchill College,
Cambridge University, and Adjunct Professor to Edith Cowan University,
Western Australia. His work has been or is being translated into many
languages, including French, German, Chinese, and Dutch.

TRACY RYAN was born and grew up in Perth, and has taught writing and
literature at various universities, most recently at Curtin University in
Western Australia. In the past few years she has also lived in Britain and
the USA. She has published a novel, VAMP, and three volumes of poetry. A
new volume of poetry, HOTHOUSE, and a new novel, JAZZ TANGO, will be
published with Fremantle Arts Centre Press in 2002. An experimental work,
bloc-notes, is due out in the USA with potes & poets.

STEVE CHINNA teaches theatre and performance studies in the Department of
English, University of Western Australia. He works with scripted plays,
and devises, writes, and directs new works, often in collaboration with
students. These new works have included: FROM DREAMS OF REASON, 1992; LOVE
AND ADDICTION: THE DIARY OF A CURE, 1994; THE SHE-WOLF'S BLOODY NECKLACE,
1995; MISSIONARY POSITIONS, 1996; ENCOUNTERS WITH THE ALIEN (DARK
HEARTS), 1998; and Kinsella/Ryan/Chinna, SMITH STREET (BETWEEN HEAVEN AND
HELL), 2001.

Spread the word. Far and wide,

William Slaughter
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